populism

Many analysts have described Trump’s rhetoric from a moral perspective, but not a rhetorical one. If we consider the three basic rhetorical appeals, as laid out by Aristotle- logos, pathos and ethos- it becomes clear that Trump almost exclusively uses pathos, or emotional appeals, to communicate his points. This fact is revealing of him as a speaker and leader.

2016 has brought us Brexit and Trump, and with them came the loud, mass calls for repeating or at least recounting the votes. So what happened to respecting the will of the people? Don’t get me wrong, I am just as appalled and disappointed by the recent turn in Western politics as you probably are. However, the people have voted and I must respect that. And so do you and so does everyone else. Whether we are happy about the result or not.